Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Trump’s Press Ban and The Courts Response

Access to unbarred media is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of a democratic country. Without independent media, the stream of information to voters is disrupted making people's understanding of their political environment inaccurate. If the media...

Trump’s Use of the SAVE Database May Threaten Democratic Participation

On Friday, September 25th, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to make use of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to screen state voter lists for possible noncitizens temporarily. The...

The Press and the Limits of Presidential Power

On September 25, 2026, The Atlantic published Quinta Jurecic’s article, “The Two-Year Temper Tantrum to Come,” about President Donald Trump’s recent fight with the White House press. Just one day earlier, a federal judge had ordered the White House to restore access...

Submarine Policy in an Era of Polarization

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

Introduction At a time when American politics experiences extreme partisan divide, one area of policy still looks surprisingly cooperative. On July 29th, 2026, the United...

Constitutional Hardball and the Politics of Mail Voting

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

Trump's March 2026 executive order on mail voting is best understood as constitutional hardball, in Levitsky and Ziblatt's sense, rather than as ordinary election-security...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Jun 22, 2026 | Suffolk University

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Jun 22, 2026 | Suffolk University, Universities

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate...

Modern Day Scarlet Letter: Women in Afghanistan Being Shamed for Mens’ Actions

Jun 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

Modern Day Scarlet Letter: Women in Afghanistan Being Shamed for Men's Actions A 16 year old girl named Gulnaz was raped by her cousin’s husband and subsequently thrown in jail due to her own...

South Africa’s Democracy Isn’t Collapsing, It’s Quietly Eroding

May 18, 2026 | George Mason University

Democracies rarely die overnight. They decay slowly, often in plain sight for all to see. South Africa today is a good example of how democratic erosion can occur even without dictators or dramatic...

Identity Survival Amongst Democratically Eroded Ethno-Religious Conflicts

May 12, 2026 | Suffolk University

When politics turns into a contest for identity survival, democratic institutions stop functioning as neutral arbitrators and instead become tools within group competition. Israel's recent...

Poland’s Democratic Decline Was Reversible

May 11, 2026 | James Madison University

In 2015, Poland experienced a significant decrease in democracy. The Law and Justice Party (PiS), under Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s leadership, secured victories in both the presidential and parliamentary...

Selective Support of the Courts: How Elite Driven Narratives in Brazil Undermine the Courts Perceived Legitimacy

May 11, 2026 | James Madison University

When Election Results Take Too Long: What Happened in Peru

May 11, 2026 | James Madison University

Elections are supposed to provide clarity. They tell citizens who won, who lost, and what comes next. But in Peru, the recent election did the opposite. Instead of clear results, the country faced...

Legislative Capture and the Erosion of Democracy in India

May 8, 2026 | James Madison University

After coming into power following the 2014 election, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has initiated an alarming backsliding of democratic institutions and practices. Having recently become the...